The meadow lies hushed beneath the warm gold of Asphodel. Ares and Linus sit in the grass while the last tension drains away like water into earth.
Linus lowers his gaze to his shoulder, where the light still lingers. He rolls it once, slow and careful, as if testing whether it truly belongs to him.
Linus
It feels strange, being only me.
A nearby cluster of Silent Souls shifts in their sleep-like calm, then settles again. The meadow keeps its gentle pulse around them, untroubled.
Hades
Strange is not the same as wrong.
Hades stands a little apart, hands folded behind his back, his stern face softened by quiet approval. He looks from Linus to Ares as if weighing a lesson that has finally taken root.
Linus
Then I think... I can learn strange.
The faint gold at Linus's shoulder brightens once, then fades to a steady glow. Around them, the grass stirs in a mild, breath-like ripple.
Hades
Good. Stay a while, both of you.
✓ Quest Accepted
Stay with Linus in Asphodel
“Hades assured me earlier that Thanatos is safe, so I let out a sigh of relief. I offer Linus a nod of encouragement and remain by his side.”
Ares exhales, slow and unforced, and stays where he is in the grass. Linus answers with a small, steadier nod, and Hades watches the exchange with quiet satisfaction.
Linus
That helps. I think I can keep learning this.
Hades
Good. Let the peace hold.
“Is Thanatos still safe?”
YES, AND MORE (Even, rolled 7)
Ares closes his eyes, reaching out with his senses to the familiar, steady hum of his mentor's presence. He feels Thanatos clearly, distant but unharmed, held in a stasis that is not death but a deep, forced slumber.
Ares
He is still there. He is waiting.
“I keep resting beside Linus”
Ares stays where he is, letting the meadow’s hush settle around him. Beside him, Linus shifts a little closer, unhurried and unafraid.
Linus
It is easier to be myself when you are here.
Hades
Then stay a while longer. Peace holds better when it is shared.
“I ask Linus what helps him feel like himself”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Reasoning, rolled +4)
Ares
What helps you feel like yourself?
Linus
Being asked that, honestly. Not being told who I am.
Linus
When I can choose small things, where I sit, what I notice, who I speak to, it feels real.
His hand curls in the grass, then loosens. The glow around his shoulder answers with a soft, steady pulse.
Linus
And when you stay, I do not have to prove anything. That helps more than I expected.
Hades
Good. A self is often found in the simple freedoms first.
At that, the meadow’s light widens around all three of them, and a faint path of gold opens through the grass beside Ares, as if Asphodel itself makes room for the moment.
Quest Complete
Stay with Linus in Asphodel